In Short: Google+ Gets Auto-Complete for Hashtags

Google just added auto-completion for hashtags on its growing social network Google+. Google developer advocate Chris Messina notes that this will "make it even easier to use and discover hashtags."

To try it, just start a new Google+ post, use the # symbol and start typing a keyword.

Why it Matters

On Twitter, hashtags are an easy way to create and track a system-wide public discussion. Google+ has been stressing the private and privacy aspects of its service, but to effectively compete with Twitter, it needs to bring more of these public discussions around breaking news and other events to the forefront. Getting users to use more hashtags should help.